


Shuuhei/F!OC (Meiri): Not-so-Lonely

by Chibitami



Series: Requested Scenario Collection [42]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Awkward Flirting, F/M, First Meetings, Flirting, Misunderstandings, Shyness, Sweet, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25862305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibitami/pseuds/Chibitami
Summary: Commissioned by partyinnevarra on Tumblr, who owns the lovely OC Meiri!Shuuhei comes across someone he's never seen before while patrolling his neighborhood.
Relationships: Hisagi Shuuhei/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Requested Scenario Collection [42]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1577755
Kudos: 3





	Shuuhei/F!OC (Meiri): Not-so-Lonely

Shuhei was already protective of his home and the Sereitei as a whole, but after the Quincy invasion and the conclusion of the Thousand-Year Blood War, he'd escalated from "protective" to hypervigilant. Most of his spare time was dedicated to patrolling the Sereitei and throwing himself more into his duties as a Squad Lieutenant, with his hobbies and work on the newspaper being pushed aside. Most of the time, his patrols were (to his slight relief) uneventful; today, however, was very different.

As he passed by the mansion towards the outskirts of his home district, he heard the sounds of a sword clashing with something and felt traces of someone's spiritual pressure fluctuating a bit...someone--or some _ thing _ \--he had never encountered before. He placed one hand close to his zanpakuto and quietly flash-stepped to the outskirts of the large, lavish property near a large stone fence. The source of this new spiritual pressure was definitely inside the mansion, just on the other side of this stone wall…

Shuhei stealthily climbed up the stone wall until he was high enough to look over the other side, but still keep most of his body hidden. To his surprise, he didn't see a Hollow, or even a Shinigami--at least, not one that he recognized. A young woman with long pink hair put up into a bun was catching her breath and staring intensely at a training dummy on the other side of the yard. While she had a zanpakuto in her hand, she wasn't wearing the traditional uniform of a Shinigami; instead, she was dressed in a dark teal hanfu top with an intricate white floral design embroidered along the shoulders, and a pair of short white pants that ended a few inches above her knees. The long skirt that would typically be worn over these shorts was carefully folded on top of a carved stone bench nearby, next to a small koi pond.

Shuhei watched as she held up her zanpakuto--a long naginata similar to the blade belonging to Third Seat Madarame of Squad 11--and moved into a stance that he recognized immediately from his days practicing drills at the Shinigami Academy. She gracefully spun around with her zanpakuto in the air over her head, using the momentum of her polearm to then thrust forward and strike the middle of the training dummy; when she noticed that the point of impact was slightly to the right of her intended target, she frowned and gripped her naginata a bit tighter. "I'm still leaning a bit," she muttered to herself, pursing her lips in annoyance. She carried her zanpakuto with one hand as she walked over to the stone bench and sat next to her folded skirt with a small frustrated sigh. "Maybe I should take a break…"

Her gaze wandered towards the training dummy across the yard, and then to a small bird that had flown near it before perching on top of the garden wall close to where Shuhei was spying on her. When she saw that a stranger was looking in on her, and in a state of "partial undress", she jumped up immediately in alarm with a small squeak of surprise; her cheeks were a bit pink at realizing a peeping tom was peering at her, and for making such an undignified sound as a result. She reached for her long skirt and quickly wrapped it around herself with one hand while brandishing her zanpakuto with the other. "This mansion is private property," she said sternly. "And it's  _ incredibly  _ rude to spy on someone, especially if they're in a state of undress."

Shuhei glanced at the young lady's long skirt, and soon she wasn't the only one with a warm face. "I-I wasn't spying on you because of  _ that _ ," he insisted. "I was checking on this place and thought there was an intruder!" He flash-stepped onto the top of the wall. "I'm co-lieutenant Shuhei Hisagi, of the 10th Division," he said, trying to sound more serious and less flustered. "The owner of this mansion hasn't been seen in years, and I detected an unfamiliar source of spiritual pressure on the grounds. So, I decided to investigate."

The young woman narrowed her eyes and reluctantly put away her weapon. "You're a member of the Gotei 13," she remarked quietly, her tone less harsh than before. "I see…" To Shuhei's surprise, she immediately bowed gracefully. "I apologize for my rude and hostile behavior," she said. "Please, allow me to rectify this. As the current keeper of my father's estate and title, to disrespect someone of your status is a mark on his name as well as mine." She lifted her head up and smiled warmly. "Allow me to properly introduce myself; I am Lady Meiri. Please, come inside. I can serve you some tea and refreshments, if you'd like!"

Shuhei looked down at her silently. She wasn't a Hollow or a Quincy, and when she wasn't aiming her sword at him she seemed downright pleasant. Still, he felt a bit of lingering suspicion; was she really that old man's daughter? They didn't really look that much alike; he knew for certain that that old noble definitely didn't have pink hair or green eyes like hers. She certainly seemed like a typical member of one of the noble families in the Soul Society, though: very refined, soft-spoken, graceful and pretty in that elegant sort of way that reminded him of the people depicted in ukiyo-e artwork…He bashfully looked away from her for a moment and glanced at the ground; even if she couldn't hear his thoughts describing her as "pretty", he still felt a bit embarrassed about it.

He jumped from the top of the garden wall and landed on the soft grass, and gave her a small awkward nod before following her inside. Even if he was still a bit suspicious of her, he could probably learn more about her this way compared to a typical interrogation. As he removed his shoes and stepped inside, his stomach growled loudly and he held a hand over his midsection while the young lady pretended notice (albeit with a small smile on her face as he walked behind her). Another plus to all of this: he wouldn't have to walk all the way back to his place to get some lunch…

For a Shinigami planning on subtly "interrogating" someone, Shuhei was acting more like a flustered teenager getting invited into a girl's room for the first time than anything else. As he sat at a small table in the dining room and looked around, Meiri put a golden kettle on the hearth in the middle of the room. After she prepared a lunch-and-tea set for two people and arranged the delicate china cups and other dishes to her liking, she set it aside near the hearth and then sat across from Shuhei with her arms folded on her lap. "I haven't enjoyed the company of visitors recently," she said with a small sheepish smile. "So my skills as a hostess may be...a bit rusty, so to speak." 

"It's fine," Shuhei mumbled. He wasn't used to being a noble's guest, so they were pretty even. He reached for his food and tried his best to not inhale it all at once in front of her; he was hungry, but  _ she  _ was a noblewoman and his hostess. "So...how long have you been living here?"

"Well, I was raised here by my father," Meiri replied. "But recently he left me in charge of the estate to apply for a position with the Royal Guard." Her eyes became slightly downcast. "After the Quincy's invasion, there were some... _ vacancies _ for several positions. He's a renowned healer and master of Kido, and he told me that he wished to put his immense talent and expertise to use within the Palace." She laughed gently and smiled sadly. "He also added that if he was already in exile from the Sereitei, why not enjoy a different change of scenery?"

Shuhei raised an eyebrow. He'd always known the old man who owned the mansion was a noble and a bit of a recluse, but not that he was  _ exiled.  _ Did it have something to do with Aizen and his experiments, like with Urahara's allies and the Visoreds' expulsion from the Sereitei? He could tell by the look on Meiri's face that it was a sore subject for her. Was she exiled as well, and that was why he'd never seen her until today? "So," Shuhei asked, trying to avoid directly asking Meiri about whether or not she was exiled like her father, "Have you ever been to the Sereitei, or do you prefer to stay here with your father at home?" He noticed her naginata lying against the wall where she had carefully placed it after first entering the room; he felt like if a woman like her was carrying around such a large weapon, he would've had to have noticed her at some point if she ever went out.

Meiri smoothed down her robes absentmindedly as she talked. "I leave and go out in public on occasion," she replied delicately. "But I've spent most of my life here, with my father. I've always felt that even if he can't engage with the world, he can at least have me alongside him so he doesn't become too lonely." She smiled again, and her voice was incredibly warm as she spoke about her father. "It's the least I can do for him, after everything he's done for me." 

When she heard the whistle of the tea kettle, she rose from the table and walked to the hearth as she continued to talk. "I've always had tutors that lived at the house while they taught me, and Father trained me in the ways of Kido and healing magic. This place is my home,  _ and  _ my school, in a way." 

"Does that mean you never went to the Shinigami Academy?" Shuhei looked down at her naginata again. "How did you learn to use a zanpakuto?"

Meiri carried the tray with cups and tea leaves in one hand, and the hot kettle of water with the other. Once she had set it onto the table, she reached down and ran her delicate fingers over the pole of her blade. "I learned here," she replied plainly. "With my father's Kido training and private lessons with a few swordsmen and kendo masters my father is acquainted with, I had no real need to go to the Academy to learn to become a Shinigami. The only time I went there was when I was required to demonstrate my skills to qualify for 'graduation' status without having been an enrolled student." She smiled sweetly at Shuhei. "It's a shame, though; if I  _ had  _ learned there, I might have been able to meet you earlier. We could have been classmates, or perhaps even friends!"

Shuhei rubbed the back of his neck bashfully as Meiri prepared their tea. "Maybe, yeah," he replied. "But I was kind of a loner back then. I dunno if I'd have been able to talk to you." With how anxious he was around girls at that age, he would've never been able to be around someone like her without becoming a sweaty, blushing mess. 

Meiri cocked her head slightly as she poured his cup first. "Oh? Because of my status, you mean?" She set the kettle down and then poured her own cup, smiling wryly. "I assure you, I'm not as high-and-mighty and straight-laced as you may think." 

"Not  _ that, _ " Shuhei replied offhandedly. "But, most guys at that age would have a hard time talking to a girl that's…" He trailed off, and his eyes widened as he realized he had  _ no idea  _ how to finish that sentence without embarrassing himself. Meiri patiently waited for him to finish, a bit puzzled but eager to understand just what he was talking about. His face turned slightly red as he tried his hardest to not avoid her gaze. "That's...ah... _ elegant _ , you know? Graceful, pretty, stuff like that. It's kind of intimidating, to have someone's attention when they're so..."

Meiri's cheeks started to match the color of her rose-colored hair. She was used to being complimented for her beauty by her father's friends and acquaintances, but this felt different; instead of the demure smile and polite "thank you" she'd have given one of them, she wasn't quite sure how to respond. A small smile had turned up the corners of her lips without realizing it as she moved her hand to give Shuhei his cup of tea. When he moved to accept it, the tips of their index fingers brushed against each other, and the two of them both looked away shyly. 

Shuhei immediately put the cup to his lips and winced as he drank, too eager to hide part of his face out of embarrassment to care that the tea was scalding hot. Meiri's fingers traced the flowery design on her cup and she caught a glimpse of Shuhei's face while he was drinking. He was certainly handsome, with tousled black hair, chiseled jawline, and dark gray eyes. The scars on his face certainly didn't harm his appearance, and combined with his tattoos, Meiri thought it gave him a "rugged" sort of look that she wasn't used to appreciating up-close. "Do you think...Ahem," she said, clearing her throat a bit to try and cover her nervousness. "Do you think that same sentiment applies to young women?" She took a sip of her tea. "Are they intimidated by handsome young men at that age?"

Shuhei set down his mug and noticed the shy expression on her face as she looked just below his eyes. "I...um, I guess," he replied awkwardly, not sure what she was really asking but still noticing she was trying to say  _ something  _ from the tone of her voice. "I think everyone's nervous around people they're interested in like that, at least a little."

Meiri smiled behind her mug as she finished her sip of tea. Her heart was racing a bit as she decided to say what was on her mind, regardless of whatever happened next. "I see," she replied, her green eyes shining. "That would explain how nervous I feel right now, I suppose--having tea and speaking with a handsome man like you." 

Shuhei choked and sputtered on his tea, and Meiri covered her mouth in surprise, she didn't think he'd be  _ that _ taken aback! He quickly set his mug down and reached for one of the napkins on the tea tray, but Meiri had already grabbed it before hurrying to the other side of the table to dab at the droplets of tea on his face and chest. She knelt at his side and quickly wiped the tea from his mouth as he managed to breathe normally again. "Hisagi-san, I'm so sorry," she said, apologizing profusely as she cleaned up. "That was so bold and out of line for me to say, especially after just meeting you!" Her feelings of embarrassment radiated like the heat coming from her face; for someone from a noble family to flirt so shamelessly with someone that wasn't even courting them...oh, she had made a fool of herself and offended him for sure!

Shuhei heard Meiri's voice wobble a bit as she apologized to him, and he immediately shook his head as he wiped his chin. Was she about to cry because she thought he had rejected her by spitting up his tea? "No, no, it's okay," he insisted, coughing a bit. "I was just surprised, hearing you say that. Really, I'm..." He reached for the napkin in her hand and once again, their fingers brushed against each other. "I'm flattered. I was actually worried that I'd upset you when I'd called you pretty before, so when you replied with that, I just wasn't expecting it."

Meiri's eyes widened a bit as she felt the warmth of his fingers, and she let go of the napkin while he wiped up the spilled tea on the table in front of him. She started to realize just how close the two of them were, and her heart began to race again. "I...see," she replied haltingly, unsure of what to say. "Well, I assure you that I wasn't offended at all either. In fact, I was also very... _ flattered _ ." She smiled at him and turned slightly to hand him his half-empty mug of tea, and he took it from her with a small smile of his own. 

She (a bit reluctantly) got up to go back to her seat on the other side of the table, and soon the two of them began to talk more and more freely as time went on. Soon, the embers of the hearth began to dim, and Meiri noticed the sun beginning to set through a window in the kitchen. "Oh dear, it's almost evening," she remarked. She bowed her head. "I've kept you for so long without even realizing it!"

Shuhei set down his empty mug on the tray. "Don't worry about it," he replied with a small smirk. "With how much I've had to cover for my co-lieutenant, I'm sure she can handle one night of some extra paperwork on my behalf." He helped her carry the tea tray to the sink in the kitchen and followed her to the door leading to the backyard. As he put his shoes back on, he noticed Meiri nervously playing with the sash on her robes. "Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh, yes," she replied, dropping the end of her sash. "I was just wondering if…" She cleared her throat. "If you'd like to come over for tea again, whenever you're available. I could give you a tour of the mansion, or play a song or two on the guzheng in the music room!" She smiled shyly. "I'd have to practice a bit just to make sure I play well enough for you, though."

"That sounds nice," Shuhei replied, smiling back at her. "I don't know anything about guzheng music, but I know how to play the guitar. Maybe I could bring it over here one day after work and we could try playing together." 

Meiri nodded. "I would like that," she replied softly. "Feel free to send me a Hell Butterfly whenever you'd like to visit." 

The two of them exchanged a small polite bow, and as Shuhei made his way out of the garden to the stone path leading back to his own house, he looked at the setting sun with a smile still on his face. He had a feeling that his days of loneliness were going to be a thing of the past.


End file.
